Jake Tapper’s Graphic Novel Takes on Klaus Barbie, the Nazi Who Escaped Justice

American intelligence helped a Nazi war criminal escape Europe after the Second World War. Decades later, the story of how Klaus Barbie avoided justice is inspiring an unexpected project from Jake Tapper, the CNN journalist who has spent three years working on a graphic novel about one of the most disturbing chapters of the postwar era.

The project began with a family trip to France. During a visit to a Museum of the Resistance with his son, Tapper learned more about Jean Moulin, the French Resistance leader who was tortured by Barbie. Tapper already knew Barbie’s name from childhood, but the museum visit helped him understand the wider story and the damage left behind. One visit opened the door to years of research.

Titled The Butcher: The Decades-Long Hunt for Klaus Barbie, One of the World’s Most Notorious Killers, the nonfiction graphic novel is scheduled to be published by Top Shelf Productions on June 1, 2027. Tapper is writing and illustrating the book, bringing together his journalism and a professional illustration background that includes political cartoons and other published visual work.

Barbie, known as the “Butcher of Lyon,” was a Nazi security officer responsible for the torture and deportation of members of the French Resistance, among other crimes. After the war, U.S. Army intelligence recruited him as an informant. American officials helped him leave Europe for South America in 1951, in part because they were concerned about the exposure of intelligence networks. National Archives records document the American role in his postwar escape.

Barbie later lived in Bolivia under the name Klaus Altmann. His eventual identification and extradition to France brought him to trial decades after the crimes committed during the Nazi occupation. The history raises difficult questions about how governments weigh intelligence priorities against accountability, and what happens when political calculations help a wanted war criminal evade justice.

Tapper has reportedly worked through source material in German, English, Spanish and French. The work has been demanding: in an interview with The A.V. Club, he discussed having completed hundreds of pages and redrawn a substantial portion because he was unhappy with the results. That kind of revision sounds familiar to anyone who has ever tried to make a creative project match the picture in their head.

The graphic novel is presented as nonfiction history and journalism, and the publisher’s listing carries a Teen rating. That does not mean the story is only for teenagers. The format can make a complicated historical investigation accessible to readers who might not pick up a traditional history book, while still giving the subject the seriousness it deserves. Tapper has also spoken about wanting the work to reach younger readers.

I have to admit, The Butcher has genuinely piqued my curiosity. I’ve always respected Tapper’s journalism, especially in a media landscape where there is so much noise competing for our attention. I appreciate a journalist who makes me stop, listen and want to know more, and this project has done exactly that. Seeing him take on a story like this, while stepping into the world of graphic novels as both writer and illustrator, makes me even more interested in what he has created.

I also love the idea that it all began with a family trip to France. One museum visit opened the door to a story that led him into years of research and uncovered a disturbing chapter of history. You never quite know where curiosity will take you, and I find that part of Tapper’s journey particularly appealing.

Of course, I still have one question: where does this man find the time? He seems to be everywhere lately, and now he has spent three years researching, writing and illustrating a graphic novel. Meanwhile, the rest of us are still trying to get through our to-do lists. I have a feeling we might see him sitting down with Bill Maher when the book promotion begins, although that is my prediction, not a confirmed appearance. If he does show up, I hope somebody asks him how he manages to fit another career into an already crowded schedule.

For now, I’m looking forward to seeing what he has put on the page. When a journalist whose work you respect takes you into a story you thought you knew, only to reveal how much more there is to discover, you want to follow along. This one has my attention.